GAELIC GAMES NEWS ROUND-UP:WESTMEATH ARE seeking an immediate conclusion to the recent unrest that saw football manager Brendan Hackett step down last Saturday morning just seven months into a three-year tenure.
Offaly native Pat Flanagan has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Hackett with just one name expected to be put forward for ratification at tomorrow’s county board meeting.
“Time is against us,” said Westmeath chairman Tom Farrell. “With the championship around the corner we need to put a new management team in place as soon as possible.”
That process will begin with a management committee meeting, then a football board meeting, then a gathering of county board delegates to hopefully agree on an individual.
Farrell reiterated the board’s appreciation for Hackett’s brief tenure and the manner he took leave of the position – and with him went his full management team – after a player delegation approached him seeking his resignation last week. Hackett addressed the panel last Friday night but was unsuccessful in attempts to seek a U-turn in their collective opinion.
Westmeath have failed to win a National League game for two seasons, dropping from Division One to Division Three in the process. Hackett had recently guided the under-21s to a Leinster final where they were defeated by Dublin. He expressed concerns back in January at the lack of time afforded new managers due to the enforced November/December break in collective intercounty training.
“He took a very dignified exit,” said Farrell. “Brendan Hackett is an honest broker. He did well with the under-21s and achieved a lot in a very short space of time.”
It is unclear if any senior inter-county training session will take place this week which will add further urgency to the need to appoint a new manager ahead of the Leinster championship opener against the winners of Wicklow and Carlow on June 6th.
Dessie Dolan snr, who recently managed Leitrim, was controversially overlooked for an interview during the last recruitment process headed up by Farrell on a six-man committee that also included football chairman Des Maguire. As a direct result, Dessie Dolan jnr, the county’s most prolific marksman, left the panel.
Former captain and All Star defender John Keane also announced his retirement while another highly-rated attacker, Denis Glennon, quit the team during the league.
Ray Smyth is another name that has been mentioned to replace Hackett but internal sources have suggested Flanagan as the favoured option, having guided Tyrrellspass to a county title in 2006 and Clara to an Offaly title in 2003. He was back managing Clara last year after serving as a Westmeath selector during Tomás Ó Flatharta’s final season in charge.
Dolan’s appointment would surely see his son return to the panel while Flanagan may be able to attract Glennon back, having coached him at Tyrrellspass. However, sources indicate the same county executive will arrive at the same conclusion when it comes to considering Dolan.
Meanwhile, TG4 will broadcast live coverage of the four National League football finals on Saturday and Sunday in Croke Park. Antrim play Sligo on Saturday night at 7pm in the Division Three decider, preceded by Limerick against Waterford for the Division Four title at 5pm. Sunday’s action begins with the Division Two final between Armagh and Down before Cork meet Mayo in the Division One final at 4pm.
All Dublin club championship matches, due to begin tomorrow and run through the weekend, have been cancelled to facilitate Jim Gavin’s Dublin under-21s preparation for the All-Ireland final against Donegal on May 1st at Kingspan Breffni Park. The final will be televised live by TG4 and refereed by Sligo’s Marty Duffy.
